14. Chrono Trigger (SNES)
Chrono Trigger is a touchstone for many gamers, and with good reason. It came late in the SNES's life cycle at a time when Square seemed able to do no wrong and were thus able to strike a near perfect balance between old and new, creating something fresh and yet instantly familiar. A prime example of this is the game's battle system, a modified version of Square's well-worn Active Time Battle system which allows enemies to change their positions on the battlefield, adding an improved sense of dynamism and giving the player opportunities to use the characters' many Tech abilities to maximum effect. Chrono Trigger's bright, colorful visuals lend the game an appropriately Dragon Questish charm given that Akira Toriyama was the game's art designer. Legend has it that Yasunori Mitsuda, then a young upstart, threw a fit and threatened to quit the company if he wasn't allowed to score the game. We should all be glad that he did, as he turned in a career performance in composing (with an assist by the legendary Nobuo Uematsu) a pitch perfect soundtrack for such a grand yet whimsical adventure. Chrono Trigger's plot is equally well done and packs enough twists to keep things interesting while remaining very easy to follow, a remarkable achievement in light of the game's relative lack of linearality and multiple possible endings. The time travel aspect creates huge sense of scope, and it's pretty heartwarming to see the game's diverse cast of characters from across the ages - the cavewoman, the frog knight, the robot - band together and fight to save their world. Especially the robot! Robo steals both the show and my heart. (I am convinced that no matter how many times I beat Chrono Trigger, I am destined always to fight back tears when that heroic metal man leaves at the end.)
